


If You Have to Go, I'll Play the Fool

by In_a_Mossy_Grove



Category: Fire Emblem Echoes: Mou Hitori no Eiyuu Ou | Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia
Genre: Alm is yearning and Gray just gives him a nudge in the right direction, Celica is there in spirit, F/M, Introspection, soulmate imagery
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-03
Updated: 2020-12-03
Packaged: 2021-03-10 09:21:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 920
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27848458
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/In_a_Mossy_Grove/pseuds/In_a_Mossy_Grove
Summary: There's something eating Alm's heart from the inside out, and he's not sure what to do about it.
Relationships: Alm/Anthiese | Celica
Kudos: 8





	If You Have to Go, I'll Play the Fool

**Author's Note:**

> -Frisbees another fic into the dead SOV fandom-

There was something tangled in the threads of Alm’s lungs when he woke up. Each breath he took made him like he was desperately missing something. It didn’t quite  _ hurt,  _ he could still fight and issue orders without needing to pause for more air. He asked Silque to heal him in hushed tones, wondering if he had missed an internal injury in the chaos of battling through Valentia, but the calming breeze of her magic had no effect.

Whatever it is has tangled barbs into his skin and refused to budge.

It made him listless. Every moment that Alm wasn’t tied to work or meetings he was wandering around camp. He tried to make himself look busy, moving crates or helping with dinner, but really he felt more like he was chasing the feeling in circles. As time went on it only served to get worse, and while Alm could keep up appearances during the day he was beginning to lose sleep over it. 

Gray cornered him one night, clearly tired of watching his friend pace to and fro along the borders of the camp. 

He stood right in the path, arms crossed over his chest. “Alright, Alm. Out with it. You’re as squirrly as Tobin was that one time I dropped a beetle down his shirt.” 

Alm only winced at that, shifting his weight back and forth between his feet. 

“Not even a laugh.” Gray’s brows raised. “That bad, huh?” 

“It’s not easy…” How was he supposed to explain how it felt to have his soul and skin on fire? He tried to form the words, stumbling over his thoughts like they were fallen branches in his path. “I feel like there’s something…  _ pulling _ at me. My body wants to go somewhere, to be somewhere, but I can’t figure out where that place is supposed to be!” 

With a tense sigh, Alm cut himself off and rubbed his face, the fabric of his gloves itchy against his skin. He felt a hand drop onto his shoulder, Gray’s touch grounding him in the moment. He led Alm a bit further from camp, the damp grass flattened by their boots as they made their way towards a fallen log.

“Is it Celica?” Gray asked, clearing his throat.

Alm raised his head, brows furrowed low over his eyes. “Celica?” 

“She’s out here somewhere, isn’t she?” Gray nudged him with an elbow. “Maybe that’s where you’re trying to go. I mean, the two of you were pretty tied together even when we were kids, I wouldn’t doubt that you were trying to find her without even knowing.” 

The implications dawned on him and Alm felt his face flush. He looked away, staring at the grass between his boots in the hopes that Gray wouldn’t be able to see his expression. 

_ Celica. _ He had to resist the urge to whisper the name like a prayer. She had always been his lifeline, did it not make sense that his heart ached to be near her? 

Gray laughed, but Alm didn’t get the sense that he was being made fun of. “You two childhood lovebirds are really something.” He wiped away a fake tear, pressing a hand to his chest. “I hope someone loves  _ me _ like that someday.” 

Alm bumped their shoulders together, knowing that his friend was trying to lighten the mood. “Come on Gray, you’re a catch and you know it.” 

“Duh.” Gray stood and ruffled Alm’s hair, making the boy squawk in surprise. “I’d better head back. Try not to stay up too late thinking about your true love, yeah? We need our commander to get some rest.” 

Alm flushed even more at what his friend was insinuating, pushing his hand off. “Yeah, yeah.” Gray laughed again and started back towards camp, but Alm called out once he had gone a few paces. “Hey, Gray?” 

“Yeah?” 

“Thanks.” 

The comment only earned him a casual wave. “No problem, buddy.” 

Alm watched his friend’s back disappear back through the maze of tents before he pulled his eyes away. Instinctively his hands came to the collar of his armor and pulled the amulet Celica had given him from it’s confines. He slid forward off the log, instead resting his head back on it to stare up at the sky.

The night was clear, the infinite expanse of stars open to him as he let himself get lost among the lights. 

“Celica.” He whispered, and then he poured a bit more life into his voice as if speaking her name might manifest her in the grass beside him. “ _ Celica.” _

A flood of embarrassment washed over him and he covered his face with one hand, laughing at himself. The feeling in his chest had lightened, given a name at last by the keen observance of a friend. 

Alm and Celica had always been two halves of one whole, and ever since she left Ram Village Alm had longed to see her again. Now he was in the world, past the ramshackle barricades and broken fences and his heart was eager to reconnect. 

He let his hand fall to his chest, cradling the pendant between his palms. The stars were bright, a mesmerizing blanket of color. Somewhere out there, he hoped Celica was looking at the sky too. For just one night it could bridge the gap between them, make what had been broken whole again. 

If he stretched out a hand, he could almost imagine her reaching back for him. 

Wherever Celica was, Alm would find her again.


End file.
